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Oliver!

London was a tough place in the 19th century. Social issues and crime rates aside, the overcrowding and poor understanding of communicable diseases made the city a breeding ground for illness. (Two cholera outbreaks in the mid-1800s alone killed up to 90,000.) But good did come out of the adversity: Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, which shed light on child labor and crushing poverty. It's a classic as well, like the 1960 musical that followed, Oliver!, which you can see at 7 tonight when the Colorado Springs Conservatory stages it at Colorado College's Armstrong Hall (14 E. Cache la Poudre St., csconservatory.org). The cast includes CSC students, faculty, alumni and community actors, with the titular character played by 12-year-old Elizabeth Pond. Tickets are $10 for kids, $20 for adults, and shows run through Saturday, when there is also a matinee. — Edie Adelstein